Anne Monahan

Founding and championship coach at Sidwell Friends School, All-Met coach of the year, selector and coach of regional high school teams at USL national tournament, American University graduate, U.S. national field hockey team member, college and high school hall of fame inductee, post-collegiate lacrosse player, area pioneer of lacrosse and squash, nationally-ranked hardball player, frequent participant in lacrosse camps and clinics.

Anne Monahan’s influence on schoolgirl sports in the Washington, DC metropolitan area is inestimable.  When she arrived as a talented multi-sport athlete to attend and play field hockey at American University in the 1960’s, the athletic landscape for women was rather bleak. No opportunities to play lacrosse at any level existed in the metropolitan region.  Not until she finished her field hockey eligibility at American did Anne resume playing lacrosse with a post-collegiate team in Baltimore, where she made first team South at the annual national tournament.

Over the past 36 years, Anne has helped to transform the local sports scene in significant ways.  Hired at Sidwell Friends School as a teacher and coach of field hockey in 1969, she quickly introduced lacrosse and then squash to her students. As coach of the first teams in the Washington, DC area, Anne took on the necessary work of developing interest and programs in both of these sports throughout the area.  

In addition to coaching, Anne officiated at games and led lacrosse clinics and camps.  Interest in the sport soon spread to nearby private schools in and around the District.  In 1988, she served as the first girls’ coach with the McLean youth lacrosse program, a role she continued for 12 years.  Anne’s efforts have been fruitful.  Girls’ lacrosse has grown faster in the metropolitan region in the past 20 years than any other part of the nation.

Sidwell Friends was the first school in the region to sponsor lacrosse.  To compete initially, the team would have to travel to Baltimore for contests.  As local competition developed and improved, Sidwell led the way.  Her team captured their third league championship in 1992 and Anne was named All-Met coach of the year.  When All-Met player of the year Lindsay Davison (Harvard) and first teamer Casey Coleman (Princeton) graduated the following year, Sidwell completed a dominating three-year run of 42 wins and just three losses.

Anne and her husband, Dave, reside in Vienna, VA where they have raised three lacrosse-playing daughters.  Kelly played at O’Connell high school and Marymount University; Chrissy played at O’Connell high school and James Madison; and Megan plays at Paul VI high school.